What if I said, “There is no such thing as a ‘no kill’ animal shelter.”
Would you silently scoff, beg to differ, or be up in arms?
Well, I do believe that. And am prepared for lots of argument. But I’m quoting my dear friend, Ulla Pedersen, who is the founder and executive director of the non-profit hospice sanctuary in Santa Fe, NM, Kindred Spirits, for dogs, horses and poultry.
Since becoming heavily involved with the Santa Fe Animal Shelter in 2009, I myself HAD finally learned that there was a major difference between “no kill” and “open” shelters, but when Ulla said this, and told me that’s what she tells everyone when they bring the subject up, I admit I was a bit shocked!
What did she mean? Here’s the bottom line, and it’s actually very simple.
An “open shelter” takes everything that comes to its door, no matter what condition the animal is in.
A “no kill” shelter does not. It sends animals who cannot be saved to an “open” shelter.
So, while no kill shelters may not actually kill animals on site, they are simply passing on the duty to someone else.
And believe me, I’m not knockin’ ’em! They are wonderful sanctuaries and we would have a real dilemma on our hands without them.
That said, I personally think there are some animals in no kill shelters who should not be there. That it is not in their best interest. A dog named Holly comes to mind, who was in a small no kill shelter in a small town, IN A SMALL KENNEL, and who had been there for five years. Holly could not even be touched, and the resources of such a small sanctuary were not sufficient to do any in-depth rehabilitation with her.
For me, “saving” Holly in that type of situation and setting was downright inhumane. But then, I’m a person who believes we humans should legislate for self-selected euthanasia too. I’m a believer in quality of life, over all other things, and there is arguably poor quality of life for many of the animals who end up in no kill shelters but who are unadoptable.
I’m pleased to say that, through sheer determination and devoted volunteers, community supporters and manpower, the Santa Fe Animal Shelter, a non-profit open shelter, has one of the highest “live release rates” in the country–well over 90% each month. This means that over 90 out of 100 animals walk out the door each month, either adopted, reclaimed, or headed into foster care until adoptable. Most open shelters have only about a 50%-60% live release rate, simply because they are overwhelmed and cannot handle all of the problems that come through their doors, whether medical or behavioral.
Hopefully, in the future, the increasing spay/neuter efforts throughout the country will begin making a bigger impact on our homeless animals who end up in shelters, whether they be “no-kill” or “open.”
PLEASE support your local shelters, of both kinds!
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